


Unsolved Mysteries

by freaky_hanyou



Category: Free!
Genre: Fluff, Lol that's a tag, M/M, Nagisa being Nagisa, Nanase Haruka & Tachibana Makoto & Tokyo, Team Iwatobi Feels, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-21 13:33:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21075707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freaky_hanyou/pseuds/freaky_hanyou
Summary: 12:36amIs your door locked?12:54amYes?12:55amGood.Makoto is puzzled by a cryptic late-night text from Nagisa.Makoto had a bad feeling about this. Don’t ask, he reprimanded himself.Don’t. Ask.





	Unsolved Mysteries

**Author's Note:**

> So [tunamayo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tunamayo/pseuds/tunamayo) actually inspired this idea a year ago, I can’t remember how but we ended up talking about being that one friend that says scary stuff to freak out the other one and obviously this led to a quick connection of Nagisa and Makoto and who doesn’t love an opportunity to write some MH cuddles amirite XP
> 
> And as I had this idea long before _I’m Here, Makoto,_ this has sort of ended up as a kind of prequel? If you have read that before and then read this one and are like _Hey wait a second,_ then yes they are related lol. 
> 
> Also if you happen to notice some descriptions end up sounding different than usual, it's because I checked out Haru's apartment in TYM (since they’re not living together yet in a story of mine, for once lol).
> 
> Also also I have never seen _Unsolved Mysteries_ (it’s a television show in America lol) so if this isn’t the type of thing they show then…oops? XP
> 
> Enjoy!

Makoto shut the lid of his laptop with a satisfying ‘click.’ He was finally, _finally_ done with his paper. He leaned back in his desk chair, reaching both arms high for a long stretch. This wasn’t his preferred way to spend a Friday night, but he hadn’t had a choice; there was simply too much work involved, and he had needed to get it done. But it was over with now, and he didn’t have to work tomorrow—which meant he could spend the whole day with Haru.

Makoto smiled. How long had it been since they’d both been free for an entire day at the same time? Either Makoto had homework, or Haru had homework, or Makoto had to work, or Haru had practice—the list went on and on. So Makoto knew a gift when he saw one, and he intended to cherish every minute spent with his boyfriend tomorrow.

…or _later today, _rather. Makoto had no idea what time it was, but he was sure it was past midnight. He reached for his phone; he hadn’t checked it in hours. And he was right, it was well after midnight—it was almost one. He skimmed his notifications and was surprised to see that he’d gotten a message from Nagisa; it wasn’t from too long ago, either:

** _12:36am_ **

_Is your door locked?_

Makoto stared at the cryptic text message. What was that about? His brows furrowed as he typed his reply:

** _12:54am_ **

_Yes?_

Makoto wasn’t sure if Nagisa had gone to bed, but clearly he hadn’t because he answered moments later:

** _12:55am_ **

_Good._

And that was it. Makoto waited for further explanation, but there was nothing. He frowned at his phone, curious about the subtext Nagisa clearly wasn’t saying. He started to question him, but then he stopped himself. No. Makoto had a bad feeling about this. _Don’t ask, _he reprimanded himself.

_Don’t. Ask._

But Makoto’s curiosity got the better of him, and after a few more moments he finally replied:

** _12:58am_ **

_Why?_

He was probably going to regret this. Sure enough, Nagisa’s reply came almost immediately—and judging from the quantity of text, Makoto could tell that Nagisa had been waiting for his inquiry:

** _12:58am_ **

_I was just watching this show called Unsolved Mysteries, and the episode was about something that had happened in your area! This robber broke in and murdered this family before he ran off with their stuff; it’s been years but they’ve never been able to find him—his trail was too clean. Since it made me think of you and Haru-chan, I wanted to make sure you were safe at your place, but I can see now that I was just being silly. Anyway, goodnight!_

Makoto felt the cold chill of fear spread down his back like a slow trickle of melting ice as he finished reading the wall of text. Yep, he definitely shouldn’t have asked. He answered right away with:

** _1:00am_ **

_That’s a good one, Nagisa. Very funny!_

** _1:05am_ **

_Nagisa?_

He wasn’t answering. Surely he couldn’t have just _gone to bed_ after that, could he? Makoto let out a small sigh; of course he could, he was _Nagisa. _Makoto moved to sit on the edge of his bed; he couldn’t stop his hand from shaking as he set his phone down on the charger. He just needed to take a deep breath. Nagisa was purposely trying to rile him up for some reason, but it wasn’t going to work. Nagisa had been talking about a case from _years_ ago, so of course the guy wasn’t still _around _or anything.

_…but don’t criminals always return to the scene of the crime?_ said a little voice in his head, and Makoto shuddered. Bed, he just needed to hurry up and get to bed. He was going to get some sleep, and he wasn’t going to let this bother him.

\---((***))---

It was _definitely_ bothering him. Every time Makoto shut his eyes his imagination ran wild—he heard doors suddenly bursting open, and shouts and screams and—

Makoto had a death grip on his pillow, and he squeezed it tightly to himself as he suppressed a whimper. _There’s nothing to be afraid of, _he told himself, _nothing—_

Makoto heard a small noise outside, and he jumped badly, sitting bolt upright in bed. He shoved his head into the pillow as he let out a frustrated sigh. This was ridiculous. He was warm and safe in his bed. He lived in a safe neighborhood. He wasn’t even on the ground floor! So why was he so terrified?

Makoto knew the answer to that question, but he refused to admit defeat. Nevertheless, as he looked up his eyes slid over to his cell phone that was innocently resting on its charger. He could always—

Makoto shook his head firmly. No, he wasn’t going to bother Haru with this. He wasn’t going over there (trains ran late in Tokyo on the weekends, but their train line had stopped for the night a while ago), and he _wasn’t _going to call him.

He was_ not._

Makoto stared at his phone for what felt like ages. He was certain that Haru was asleep, and Haru needed his rest. He worked so hard; Makoto wasn’t going to interfere with Haru’s sleep schedule over _this_ of all things. He was _safe,_ for heaven’s sake; the _door was locked—_

Makoto’s blood ran cold as a chilling thought suddenly occurred to him. _Haru still didn’t keep his door locked._

Makoto was up and out of bed before he even realized it; he reached for his jacket, hastily putting it on. He needed to make sure Haru was alright. He’d just quietly go in and see for himself; then he’d sleep on the floor and explain in the morning. Simple. And Makoto would automatically feel better just being near Haru, even if he didn’t know Makoto was there. It was a win-win situation, really.

But that meant he’d have to walk there. Makoto gulped as he headed to the door and started putting on his shoes. He wasn’t sure how long it’d take to walk to Haru’s; it wasn’t like when he lived right around the corner. Makoto steeled himself. If he wasn’t acting ridiculous before, then he most certainly was now, but dammit he needed to see that Haru was okay and safe. _Now._

Besides, he hadn’t gone for a late-night jog in a while; this was the perfect opportunity.

Right?

\---((One Hour or So Later))---

Makoto stood hunched over in front of Haru’s door, trying to catch his breath. Okay, so that had been more of a terror-filled sprint than an actual jog, but who was keeping track? He tried to take measured breaths, slowly getting his body to calm down. He didn’t want to wake Haru; he was going to sneak in, make sure he was alright, and sleep on the floor—that’s it.

He took a furtive glance around, looking for murderers. The coast was clear…for now. He took one last deep breath before he reached out and tried the door. It was locked.

Makoto let out a huge sigh of relief. _Thank goodness._ Makoto was so relieved to know that Haru at _least_ kept himself protected at night.

But that meant Makoto didn’t really have a reason to be here anymore. Or more accurately, he didn’t have any real excuse to break into Haru’s apartment in the middle of the night anymore…other than his true reason: he was scared.

He couldn’t bring himself to walk back home, he just couldn’t. Makoto reached into his back pocket, seeking his keys. He hated using the spare key Haru gave him for this, but he _had_ to. He could still follow through with his original plan: sleep on the floor, explain in the morning—

A thought finally occurred to Makoto as he opened the door with a soft ‘click.’ Most of the time, Haru was a light sleeper. If he woke up, what would he think if he suddenly heard someone sneaking around in his apartment?

Makoto immediately started to panic. Oh god, now _he_ had turned into the murderer! What had he been _thinking?_ He shouldn’t have come here; he was such an idiot—

Makoto managed to quietly shut the door behind him. He slipped off his shoes and shuffled down the little hall, edging towards the main room. He’d just whisper that it was him, just in case. If Haru was awake, he’d know he wasn’t a murderer; if Haru was still asleep, he wouldn’t hear him.

As Makoto entered the room, he looked over towards the bed. It was too dark for him to actually see, but based on what appeared to be a motionless pile of dark hair on the pillow, Makoto was guessing (hoping) that Haru hadn’t woken up.

“Haru, if you’re awake, it’s just me,” Makoto said in the quietest whisper he could. Haru didn’t react, and Makoto breathed a soundless sigh of relief. He was still asleep, perfect. Now he’d just—

Haru suddenly rolled over in bed to face him. “Makoto? What are you doing here?”

Makoto let out a groan as he covered his face with both hands. His mission had failed; he was such a terrible and annoying boyfriend—

“Makoto.” Haru’s voice was now much closer than it had been before, and Makoto looked up to see Haru standing before him, the sleep in his eyes quickly being replaced by concern. Haru put a hand on his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

Makoto felt any resolve he had left not to bother Haru crumble away in the face of that look—that look that told him Haru wasn’t even remotely bothered by his sudden appearance in the middle of the night, that he was only worried about Makoto and Makoto’s well-being.

“I…I…” Makoto’s words stalled; he wasn’t sure how best to explain. Haru’s hand moved to take his instead, pulling him over to sit down on the bed. He then sat next to him, reaching to take Makoto’s hand in both of his.

“Start at the beginning,” Haru said gently, and words suddenly spilled out of Makoto. He told him everything, from Nagisa’s sudden cryptic message all the way to his frantic run that led him here.

“…and then I was worried that you’d think _I_ was the murderer, so I said something just in case, and then I woke you up, and I’m so _sorry_ for bothering you like this, it’s stupid—”

Haru squeezed his hand. “It’s not stupid,” he said firmly. He let go with one hand to reach up and cup Makoto’s cheek, holding his gaze. “It’s not stupid,” he repeated, “I’m glad you came.” Makoto couldn’t help but smile in response, gripping Haru’s hand tightly.

“Although I can’t believe you _ran_ here,” Haru continued, his hand falling away from Makoto’s cheek as he broke eye contact with a frown, “Nagisa isn’t going to get away with this…”

Makoto could sense Haru’s growing irritation. “Haru, it’s fine—” he started, but Haru cut him off, squeezing Makoto’s hand with more strength than he’d intended. 

“It’s _not_ fine; he had _no_ reason—”

“I’m sure there was a reason—”

“Then it couldn’t have been a good one,” Haru said shortly, silently stewing about what sort of reason Nagisa could’ve _possibly_ had to tell Makoto such a thing out of _nowhere_ when he _knew_ that—

Haru stopped his train of thought. Nagisa could be dealt with in the morning; right now he should be thinking about the man sitting next to him. He cleared his throat. “Sorry. You’re what matters most, not Nagisa’s incomprehensible choices.” He gave Makoto a small smile. “Let’s get ready for bed.”

Makoto nodded and took off his jacket and pants before cuddling in next to Haru under the covers. He shifted so he could rest his head on Haru’s chest, and Haru brought both arms around him, holding him tight.

“Do you feel a little better?” Haru asked, and Makoto nodded against him. “You’re safe,” Haru murmured quietly as he tilted his head to press a kiss to Makoto’s hair, “There are no murderers around.”

Makoto laughed quietly. “I know.” Both Makoto and Haru knew that Makoto didn’t actually feel that way at the moment, but Haru didn’t contradict him. He simply held him close, reassuring Makoto that he was safe through his actions, through his presence.

“You don’t ever have to hesitate to call me,” Haru emphasized, “I don’t care what time it is.”

He felt Makoto stiffen. “But, Haru—”

“No buts.”

Makoto quickly realized that Haru wasn’t going to bend on this. “…Alright,” Makoto said, though he didn’t really mean it. The next time he was scared, he’d stick it out—

“Makoto, promise me you’ll call. If you’re scared, and the trains have stopped running, you’ll call me. We’ll talk, or we’ll figure something out. I’ll come to you,” Haru offered.

Makoto immediately protested, pulling away enough that he could sit up and look at him. “Haru, you can’t possibly—”

“Then we’ll meet in the middle and go find a hotel.” Makoto laughed, but Haru wasn’t joking. “Promise me,” Haru repeated, and Makoto’s gaze softened.

“I promise,” Makoto said, and he leaned down, unable to resist giving Haru one long, lingering kiss. After he pulled away, he placed one more kiss on Haru’s nose for good measure before he resettled himself on Haru’s chest. “I promise I’ll call,” he repeated, just so Haru knew that he meant it.

“Thank you,” Haru said, and Makoto could feel Haru relax underneath him. One of his arms traveled up Makoto’s back to trace gentle patterns on his shoulders and upper back. “Do you think you’ll be able to sleep?”

Makoto closed his eyes, and he heard no shouting, no screams. “I think I’ll be okay,” he said with another smile, nuzzling Haru in reply.

Haru smiled as well. “Good. Wake me up if that changes, alright?” Haru couldn’t help but add worriedly.

“I will.” Makoto was touched by Haru’s concern. He wasn’t surprised exactly, but sometimes he was amazed by just how far Haru would go for him—by how much Haru loved him. “I love you,” Makoto found himself saying, and Haru’s hand moved up into Makoto’s hair, brushing gently through the soft locks.

“I love you, too.” Haru said in reply, his words warm and soothing. “Try to get some sleep.”

And Makoto slept soundly through the night, unafraid of anything—murderers or otherwise.

\---((The Next Morning))---

Haru awoke to the sound of someone knocking on the door. He tried to get his bearings as he gently untangled himself from Makoto, trying not to wake him. The person at the door would not be ignored, however, and they continued knocking insistently, causing Makoto to stir.

“Mmn…what’s going on?” Makoto said sleepily, and Haru gave him a kiss on the cheek before he stood to put on his pants.

“It’s okay; someone’s at the door.” Haru went down the hall and approached the door, looking through the peephole to see who it was.

It was Rei and Nagisa.

Haru’s brow furrowed as he pulled open the door. “Surprise!” Nagisa exclaimed, rushing in to give Haru a hug. “We came to see you!”

Haru automatically returned the hug, but he looked over his shoulder at Rei to raise an eyebrow. It wasn’t a holiday weekend… “What are you guys doing here?”

“Fortunately, we were given the day off from school on Monday,” Rei explained, “so Nagisa-kun proposed that we take the opportunity to—”

“We wanted to see you guys!” Nagisa finished, cutting Rei off as he released Haru. “Where’s Mako-chan?”

Haru’s eyes immediately narrowed. He was glad to see his friends, but speaking of…“Nagisa—”

“Nagisa? Rei?” came a voice from behind him, and Makoto appeared at the edge of the hall, pleased yet still confused. “What are you guys doing here?”

“Mako-chan!” Nagisa cried out excitedly, breezing past Haru as he haphazardly kicked off his shoes, making a beeline for Makoto. Rei sighed as he took off his jacket, arranging Nagisa’s discarded shoes next to his in the entryway.

Haru followed after Nagisa. “Nagisa—”

“I just _knew_ you’d be here too, Mako-chan—!”

_“Nagisa.”_

Nagisa stopped just before he could glomp Makoto and turned back towards Haru, startled by the sharpness in his tone. “What’s wrong, Haru-chan?”

Haru cut right to the chase. “I want to talk about what you did last night.”

Behind Haru, Rei’s brows furrowed in confusion as Nagisa feigned innocence. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t play games with me, Nagisa,” Haru replied tersely, his temper spiking as he gestured at Makoto. “You sent Makoto that frightening message for no reason—”

“There was a reason,” Nagisa replied, abruptly dropping all pretense. Haru waited for him to explain. “He’s here, isn’t he? I really wanted to surprise both of you together today, so I figured if I spooked Mako-chan just a _little_ bit, he’d get on a train and come here, and here he is!” Nagisa finished grandly, gesturing at Makoto like he was modeling a new car. He was clearly pleased with the results of his diabolical plan.

Haru’s frown darkened, and Rei started sputtering in surprise. “Nagisa-kun, you did _what—”_

Nagisa rolled his eyes. “Oh come _on,_ Rei-chan—”

“The trains weren’t running, Nagisa,” Haru said quietly into the melee, and both kouhai went silent as they turned to Haru. “The trains had stopped, so he _ran here._ In the middle of the night, by himself.”

Makoto, who had been silently watching this exchange, heard the ever-so-gradual rise in Haru’s tone; warning bells went off in his head, and he tried to intervene. “Haru, it’s okay—”

“You _terrified_ him so much,” Haru went on, steamrolling over Makoto’s words as he continued angrily, “that he felt he had _no other choice_ but to _run_ here in the middle of the night! I get that you’d want to surprise us together, but that was out of line, Nagisa. You—” Haru suddenly stopped as he felt a hand on his right shoulder; surprised, he looked to the side and saw that Makoto had somehow skirted around Nagisa without him noticing, and he now stood facing him at his side, his eyes full of gratitude and understanding.

“Haru, thank you, but it’s okay. I—”

“It’s not okay!” Haru shouted in response, but he immediately quieted again as he realized that he had heard his words in stereo—Nagisa had exclaimed the same thing, too. Everyone turned to Nagisa as he started to speak.

“It’s not okay,” Nagisa repeated, and his magenta eyes were full of remorse as he stepped closer, standing directly in front of Haru and Makoto. He addressed Haru as he said, “You’re right; I wasn’t thinking. If I had thought it through just a little more, I would’ve realized what a horrible idea that was. I’m sorry.” He looked at Makoto. “I’m really sorry, Mako-chan.”

Makoto gently scooted Haru over so he could give Nagisa a hug. “It’s fine, Nagisa. I know you understand. And I know you did it with good intentions too, right Haru-chan?” Makoto said leadingly as he looked over to Haru.

Haru kept his hard expression, but his eyes softened just a bit. “…I guess,” he allowed, but everyone could tell that his anger had dissipated. “And drop the –chan.”

“Haru-chan!” Nagisa wailed, and he somehow managed to throw himself at Haru for a hug while bringing Makoto along with him, instigating a group hug. Makoto chuckled over his cries as he tightened his hold on both Haru and Nagisa; Nagisa’s antics never ceased to amaze him, and no matter what, he’d never want him to be anything other than himself.

Rei cleared his throat as he faced the emotional huddle. “Haruka-senpai, I had no idea he had planned to do that; I assure you had I but known, I would have made all efforts to stop him—”

Haru smiled and reached out his arm. “Rei, it’s okay. Get in here.” Rei gave him a smile in return before he joined the group hug, basking in the warmth of their eternal friendship. There was lots of laughing and crying, and even Haru eventually let out a laugh or two. He truly had irreplaceable friends, and he loved them with all of his heart.

“Who wants some breakfast?” Haru eventually asked, and the hug broke up as Nagisa enthusiastically replied in the affirmative:

“Oooh, me, me!” he said, breaking out of the group to lead the way to the main room. “I’m starving!”

“We ate on the train, Nagisa-kun,” Rei said dryly as he followed after him.

Makoto started to join them, but he stopped when he felt a pull on his left hand. He turned back to see Haru giving him a soft, gentle smile, firmly holding his hand in his own.

“Will you help me cook?” Haru asked, and Makoto felt warm tingles all over as he smiled in return before nodding in reply.

“You may regret that though,” Makoto said, casually threading their fingers together as they headed down the little hallway. He allowed Haru to pass him as they stopped in the kitchen part of the hall.

“Nonsense,” Haru replied, looking up at Makoto, “You can make ham and eggs now; you’ll be fine.”

Makoto’s smile widened, encouraged by Haru’s vote of confidence. Maybe he could even—

“You can’t touch anything else, though.”

“Haru!” Makoto said, bursting into a laugh from the blunt honesty that was just so _Haru._

Haru let go of his hand to reach for ingredients and pots and pans. “At least not yet, anyway.”

Makoto grinned and bumped Haru’s shoulder before he bent down at the fridge to take out the eggs. He looked forward to all of the cooking lessons Haru would give him in the future. He was going to do his best to succeed. Although…

A thought occurred to Makoto as he considered Haru’s rule. “So, if I can’t touch anything else,” Makoto started as he straightened at Haru’s side with the eggs, stopping at Haru’s height to murmur into his ear, “does that mean I can’t touch you?” He couldn’t resist teasing him.

Predictably Haru blushed and turned away, busying himself at the stove. “Not right now you can’t,” Haru said, looking briefly over at Nagisa and Rei, who were bickering over something as they sat at the table. “But later…maybe.”

Makoto chuckled before quickly stealing a kiss on the cheek, earning a half-hearted nudge to his chest in return. His chuckle grew into a full-on laugh, and he was about to retaliate with something grander when—

“Hey! If you spend enough time flirting, it’s going to be lunchtime!” Nagisa called out with a wink.

Now both Haru and Makoto were blushing. “Come help then,” Haru said in reply, and Nagisa let out a sound of glee as he stood up, dragging Rei over with him to the kitchen.

“Now _this_ I’m sure I’ll probably regret,” Haru murmured jokingly to Makoto before he started giving jobs to Nagisa and Rei. Makoto smiled at the trio before he made his way over to the countertop; he turned his focus to the eggs, trying to concentrate on his task in the now-chaotic kitchen. He couldn’t stop smiling, though. He truly had everything he could ever need right here. He had friends who cared about him, a boyfriend who loved him with all of his heart. What more could he ask for?

Nagisa shrieked as egg suddenly went flying; Makoto hadn’t been paying attention, and he’d accidentally crushed the egg he’d been holding, jettisoning pieces of it out in several directions. Haru gave him a look, and Makoto winced.

Well. Maybe there were a few things he could ask for.

\---((The End!))---

**Author's Note:**

> YAY Mission complete! Poor Makoto always gets picked on in my Halloween stories lol. So Happy Halloween my friends! My Makoto birthday fic is already underway, because I want to leave as much time as possible for the Christmas fic XP
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! I’d love to hear from you!
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> ~freaky-hanyou


End file.
